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Irish Winter Activities

Welcome to Winter in Ireland! I decided to put this blog piece together because these are the few weeks of the year in which we can agree that Winter has set in, but aren’t dominated by either Halloween or Christmas. There are many different sources claiming that the second, post-Christmas half of our Irish Winter will be a harsh, cold and stormy one, so these few weeks before the Christmas season really kicks off may be your best chance to enjoy our Irish Winter.

So what is there to do, you ask? Read on, and I’ll tell…

Ice-Skating

Skating is a fantastic, fun activity for all the family. There are a few great rinks open right now, so get down, get your skates on and glide gracefully on the ice. There’s a wonderful temporary rink at Dundrum Town Centre (Shopping Centre) which I tried out recently. It was fantastic, even though it did take me a bit of time to get the hang of it. There’re loads of great rinks dotted around the country, including Galway, Waterford, Dundalk and Antrim. For a full guide, click here.

Walking

It’s perfect weather for a hike or a long walk in November and early December. A few wet days aside, the weather is generally quite mild, and providing you get out early, there’s sufficient sunlight and brightness to show you the clearest path through the densest of forests. I could write a thousand blogs about places to walk, but here’s one of my favourites to give you a flavour:

Howth Head, Dublin: There’s a beautiful walk which starts at the DART (Train) Station in the heart of Howth Village. It begins by taking you along the harbour before climbing up from the village around the nose of Howth and onto the cliff-tops. Stunning views of Lambay Island, Ireland’s Eye and the Irish Sea can be enjoyed from this perch. For more details of this walk, click here.

Theatre

‘Follow’ at the Abbey Theatre, winner of the ‘Spirit of the Fringe’ award at Dublin Fringe Festival in 2011, is currently running and is well worth checking out. Created by Jack Cawley and Shane O’Reilly, it looks at the issue of Deafness in Irish society from a creative angle. More info here.

For something a little bit different, check out The Tale of Ancient Lights at Cork Arts Theatre. This is a solo performance piece which combines circus, magic and dance in an interpretation of an old Asian legend. For more info and details of how to book, click here.

Winter in Ireland is a beautiful time of year, bringing its own unique aspects and qualities to Irish life compared with the warmer seasons. Ireland is a country brimming with events and activities. Hopefully some of my suggestions for Winter activities will give you a bit of inspiration. If you’d like to discuss coming to Ireland and planning how you’d spend your time here, we’d be more than happy to help. Contact us today and get the ball rolling!